Australian fashion's enfant terrible George Gorrow reveals his future plans to ragtrader.com.au, following his resignation from the iconic label he co-created.
After 12 years as head of one of Australia's most iconic and controversial fashion brands, George Gorrow today announced his resignation as creative director of Ksubi, effective immediately.
Commenting on his decision to split from the brand, Gorrow said the time was right and it was a wonder he'd made it this long.
"There was always a day when it would come for me to leave Ksubi, and after 12 great years, the time is now,” he said.
“Weird thing is that I have such a short attention span, and can't even finish a painting that takes longer than 12 hours, so 12 years as creative director is an unbelievable feat for me - I can't believe it myself.
“Thing is when I look back at it all, it seems like a flash. It's been the ride of my life - roller coasters, blood, guts and glory, everything I could have dreamed of, but none the less, its now time for me to take the next step in my career.”
However, Gorrow said his short-term focus for now is to take a break, spend time with his wife and practice his surfing – “try to get some cool nose riding style and celebrate this great life we live”.
Ksubi – along with its co-founders Gorrow and Dan Single – has long enjoyed a notorious reputation for being cutting-edge and controversial.
However, the brand has also received praise for elevating Australian denim on the worldwide stage and leading the way with innovative marketing and brand activations.
The company also revealed that “Gorrow exits the business on a high note and in its strongest position in years”, with Ksubi's sales on its latest collection 'AD-BC' having generated “record breaking orders and a host of accolades”.
“I am proud to be leaving on what I think is my team and my best collection to date, AD-BC,” Gorrow said.
“I am also honoured to have worked beside my team - we have all grown together, like family, and they have my utmost respect, each and every one of them. I really do believe in these guys, and think that the best is yet to come for Ksubi."
Ksubi chairman and founder of Quiksilver Europe Harry Hodge – who salvaged the brand as a private investor when it collapsed into liquidation in 2010 – said Gorrow has shaped the brand since inception.
“Ksubi would never have represented everything that it stands for without George,” Hodge said.
“Not only has he left his mark, but rather, George has left a profound imprint, which will be hard to forget. We wish him nothing but the very best in his future endeavours and look forward to watching him grow.”
Going forward, Ksubi's design aesthetic will be led by the Ksubi 'Collective', which includes creative director Mikey Nolan, head designer Guy Hastie and denim designer Apples Ryan. The team will “work together to continue to produce the Ksubi collections".